Five Takeaways: Pflugerville Hendrickson @ Austin Vandegrift
MOST EXCITING GAME OF THE SEASON THUS FAR?
Last night, the Vipers of Austin Vandegrift hosted the Pflugerville Hendrickson Hawks. The Vipers came in with a district record of (4-5), while the Hawks sat on top of the district standings with a record of (9-0).
The game was a back and forth contest filled with momentum swings and exciting plays. It was such a great game, that it needed a fifth quarter to decide the final outcome. It was with five seconds remaining in overtime, where Isaac Bullard advanced the ball up the court to Bradley Rahn who took and swished a deep three at the buzzer to give Hendrickson the 73-71 win. With the victory, the Hawks stay undefeated in district play.
The UIL 6A District XIII matchup was exciting to spectate. The stars shined bright and the role players stepped up when they needed to. The other great games that come to mind this season are the Thanksgiving Hoopfest matchup of Rockwall vs. San Joaquin Memorial (CA) and the Allen Holiday Invitational contest between Allen and Cibolo Steele.
GREG BROWN III IS INCREDIBLE
Greg Brown III carried his team to a near victory last night. The top ten player in the 2020 class got where ever he wanted to on the court. He was (as always) extremely bouncy around the rim and dunked everything he possibly could. What stood out was his new release on his jumper, which resulted in more made field goal attempts from the perimeter. The five-star also handled the ball in the open court and dished the rock to his teammates for good looks. His athleticism is unreal and it gives him the chance to be a versatile defender in the near future. He will be able to defend a guard on a switch off of a screen or protect the rim with his vertical leap. The junior forward went 15-23 from the charity stripe and finished with an exciting game-high of 41 points in the overtime loss. Brown has a realistic chance to be the number one player in the class because of his NBA-ready athleticism and professional potential.
WHY DID NOT MORE SCHOOLS RECRUIT ISAAC BULLARD?
Isaac Bullard was fantastic last night. He scored 25 points without attempting a shot from 15 feet or beyond. The linebacker-built senior was very aggressive offensively. He used his body to brush defenders off of him when penetrating and used his strength to finish through any hard contact under the rim. Bullard runs the point guard position for Hendrickson and was constantly aware of when to make something happen in the paint. He also made some nice passes for scores to his teammates. His great performance had me wondering why only three schools realized his value. He was offered by Dallas Baptist, UT-Tyler, and signed with Army in the fall. Nevertheless, he was outstanding as he willed his team to a district victory last night.
THIS FOUR-STAR HAS A CHANCE TO BE SPECIAL
I’d be the first to admit that I have been hard on Dylan Disu for his lack of functional strength and his inability to play physical this summer. However, I could not deny his long-term upside after watching him play last night. I thought of Disu to be one-dimensional from behind the arc because of his pretty jumpshot and his ability to knock down threes at an efficient rate. But, he did more to open my eyes to realize what he can become. The long athletic forward with a trim build made an impact on the offensive glass and was seeking lanes for putback slams. He also utilized his length in a few defensive situations, but still needs to improve on his foot movement and learning to defend without fouling. The four-star senior drilled three timely three-pointers to get his team the lead after being down by ten points in the fourth. He fouled out before the end of regulation and scored a tied team-high of 25 points in the win. If he continues to work and add muscle to reach his physical peak, I am confident that he will be a productive combo-forward at Vanderbilt over the course of his collegiate career.
OTHER NOTES…
Jaden Williams- … Jaden Williams will be the future lead guard for this Hendrickson squad. He did not finish well under the rim last night, but the lefty is extremely quick with his handle and his hands are always active on the defensive end. Look for the sophomore to make some noise in the Austin area over the next two years.
-
… James Hester Jr. made some big plays to put his team in the position to win. He won loose-ball battles, protected the rim, and corralled much-needed offensive rebounds. The strong 6-foot-5 junior big played hard and did the little things that mattered. He had a huge effect on the outcome of the game.